Now Cortana Can Help You Launch a Skype Call on Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft is rolling out a new update for Skype on Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 today, adding a handful of new features including support for Cortana, its new digital assistant. The update lets you launch Skype calls with a quick voice command, adds Action Center notifications, and brings support for even more languages to the messaging service.

The biggest improvement here is Cortana integration, which lets you launch a Skype call without opening the app first. Instead you can simply ask the digital assistant to do it for you with a command like, “Skype, get Todd Haselton on the screen” to quickly start a call. Of course you’ll need to be running Windows Phone 8.1 to access this feature, since WP8 doesn’t include Cortana.

The update also brings Skype notification into the Action Center—another new WP8.1 feature—where you’ll now see your latest updates from the app alongside new emails, text messages and social media news. Microsoft is also boosting the number of languages supported by Skype from 19 to 51 with today’s update. Finally, the app now lets you edit the last message you sent even after you send it, which the company says is a response to user feedback.